Excerpt
They passed the thorny gateway and came to a clearing lined with small huts.
“You were here recently? Because of the same incident I’m investigating? Why didn’t you say so? No wonder you weren’t checking any maps.”
“Makes me a good guide, doesn’t it?”
She was trying to establish a boundary between the two of them. He could feel the wall going up.
“I suppose. It also means you’re a step ahead of me and you were lying by omission. There wasn’t a killing here, though, was there? Not from the information I got, at least.” She flipped through her notes to check.
“No, there wasn’t. I was in the area and the KWS vet was held up on an emergency. When incidents are first reported, it’s not always clear if an injured animal will be found. One in need of emergency veterinary care or possibly one that’s dead. If the cause of death isn’t immediately apparent then a necropsy is needed. Sometimes there’s no mark on them because they’ve been poisoned. And sometimes, they’re not even found near the site. One of the men from the village might go and hunt it down after the fact, so we have to check the entire area.”
“I see. So the authorities’ only concern is for the elephants?”
“I didn’t say that, but, yes, that’s a major concern.”
“What about those children playing over there? What if they got injured in a stampede or went hungry because of crop-related income loss?”
Haki dug his heels into the hard ground and braced his hands on his waist.
“We don’t want anyone hurt. Do you think such cases aren’t reported or cared about? Be reasonable, Maddie. You know me. I’m not an extremist. It’s about balancing humanity and nature. But man is not in danger of extinction here. We cannot condone the hunting of elephants, be it for a warrior’s rite of passage or for retaliation, and especially not for ivory. Do you really think that in any elephant death, the ivory is left to waste? One incident is all it takes to perpetuate the cycle. There are dangerous, conniving men out there—poachers who’ll do anything for a sale, including bribery, blackmail and threats. And desperation equals motivation. Unfortunately, a farmer desperate enough, financially, will be motivated to work for poachers. They might even use crop destruction as a defense. We have to have consequences in place that are strong enough to serve as counter- motivation. Punishments that will make anyone think twice.”
Something shifted in Maddie’s face. Something as piercing as the eyes of a lioness who’d spotted her prey and knew exactly what she needed to do to feed her cubs.
“The Masai and other tribes have a unique culture and way of life that has been under constant threat. You want balance? Look at the maps that NWG plotted out showing how much land they’ve lost. Every time a reserve or national park is formed or some private company manages to get their hands on land that shouldn’t be touched, the living boundaries for the native peoples shrinks. These were nomads forced into farming. Balance means you can’t protect and provide for elephants and not do so for the people native to the same land. Punishments are not always the answer, Haki.”
“You’re the lawyer. Your entire career is centered on punishment.”
“Defense law. I’m defending the rights of these people.”
“Is man the only one with rights on this earth?”
Maddie sucked in an audible breath and curled her lips. He’d hit a nerve.
“You see those inkajijik?” Maddie asked. She pointed toward the rows of huts built of walls plastered with mud, cow dung and urine and topped with a dried grass roof held up by a meshwork of twigs and leleshwa wood poles. “People being forced to change their way of life or forced onto designated areas of land is an injustice that happens all over the world. It’s been happening for centuries, yet now you want to punish them for being forced into a corner and trying to survive?”
“How far back do you want to go? I believe the elephants and other native wildlife were here first. And now they, too, are restricted to protected areas—otherwise, people hunt them to extinction. The tribes have adapted. The elephants…well, one can’t adapt to getting slaughtered. They can’t adapt once they don’t exist anymore. For them, there’s only one solution. To punish the killing,” Haki said.
Maddie rubbed the back of her neck, then pushed her silver bangles up her forearm.
“I don’t want anyone suffering on either side. That’s why your bill needs to be stopped, but I suppose getting through to you will be like trying to claw my way through that thorny enkang barrier. I’m here to speak with and for the Masai. I’m not here to argue with you about the importance of human life.”
“You left Kenya. You left your family and friends behind, but I stayed. I stayed to help care for family and have dedicated my life to helping both the wildlife and people here. So don’t go lecturing me on who’s important.”
She’d abandoned him. He had been heartbroken and dejected that year. Everyone blamed it on his age and hormones and no doubt those factors made everything seem like the end of the world. But the main reason was Maddie. That kind of blow was hard to forget for a teenage boy. He pinched the bridge of his nose. That was all in the past. He was over it. Over her. It was just that being around her was bringing back old memories.
Maybe driving her out here hadn’t been such a good idea after all. He should have stuck with his initial plan and kept his distance from the start. He wasn’t sure there was any of the old Maddie left in her.
Other Books in the Series
About the Author
National and USA Today Bestselling author
Rula Sinara lives in rural Virginia with her family and crazy but endearing pets. She loves organic gardening, attracting wildlife to her yard, planting trees, raising backyard chickens and drinking more coffee than she'll ever admit to. Rula's writing has earned her a National Readers Choice Award and HOLT Medallion Award of Merit, among other honors. You can discover more about Rula at her blog
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